Aloha Kauai

It’s no secret that travel is one of my deep passions in life. I have it on my colophon in case it’s not apparent enough. It’s incredible what we can learn by stepping out of our comfort zone. Soon, the unknown starts to feel familiar, your horizons widen and you become more empathetic with different cultures or ways of living. By comparison, you also have a deeper understanding of your own way of life, as if you were looking in from the outside, and that’s invaluable.

So when I was invited to join the biz team in Kauai, Hawaii I was ecstatic. It was a once in a life time opportunity to travel that far to visit such an exotic location. And yes, it’s even further away than Japan — 12595 vs 11048 kms!

And speaking of Japan, I wasn’t really expecting Hawaii to still have, to this day, such a visible, cultural and gastronomic influence from their Nipponjin ancestors. If you visit Kauai, be sure to give Da Crack a go, a walk-up window that serves delicious food — it’s crazy good.

The company, the lukewarm Pacific waters, the virgin landscapes, and unreal sunsets made the trip for me. Definitely one checked off the bucket list.

The final shot

Hi there, welcome to my blog! I'm Filipe Varela, a designer at Automattic, and am passionate about photography and video. In this site I post photos from my journeys and daily ramblings — in sum, a slice of life. Browse through the archive or check the homepage for the latest posts.